Automobile parts are commonly assembled with the aid of one-way connector clips. Such connector clips are typically connected to an inside portion of an automobile part or workpiece and inserted through an aperture provided in a wall of an automobile body or a connecting portion. These connector clips typically work in a fashion whereby the connector clip flexes inwardly while being inserted through an aperture and then expands outwardly once the connector clip extends through the aperture such that the connector clip is prevented from being pulled back through the aperture. Thus, the connector clips provide for easy assembly of an automobile part to an automobile body while ensuring that the automobile part is not easily disconnected from the automobile body.
Larger automobile parts, such as sheet metal parts, i.e., body panels, typically utilize a plurality of connector clips. The position of the connector clips relative to the sheet metal part is critical to the assembly of the sheet metal part to the automobile body since the sheet metal part will not properly assemble to the automobile body if all of the connector clips do not properly attach to the automobile body. Therefore, the position of the connector clips is continuously monitored and gauged during the assembly of the connector clips to the sheet metal part. To ensure proper positioning of the connector clips relative to the sheet metal part, gauges have been developed to ensure that the connector clips are properly positioned. Such gauges include gauging fixtures which each provide an aperture for receiving an individual connector clip. The position of the apertures on the gauging fixtures of the gauge replicates the assembly of the sheet metal part to the automobile body. If all of the connector clips fit into the apertures of the gauging fixtures, then the connector clips are considered to be properly positioned on the sheet metal part.
However, once the connector clips are inserted through the apertures in the gauging fixtures, it is difficult to remove the connector clips from the gauging fixtures without damaging the connector clips and the sheet metal part. Thus, it is known to design a gauging fixture with two similar halves such that the gauging fixture may separate along the aperture thereby allowing the connector clip to be removed from the gauging fixture. The two halves of the gauging fixture are connected through the use of a threaded bolt which extends through a threaded aperture of the gauging fixture. When the connector clip is to be removed from the gauging fixture, the threaded bolt is manually threaded outward so as to separate the two halves of the gauging fixture. Un-threading the bolt to separate the two halves of the gauging fixture is a laborious task that requires a fair amount of time to complete. The time it takes to loosen the gauging fixture and remove the connector clips is multiplied by the number of connector clips that are attached to the sheet metal part. Considering that there may be fifteen to twenty connector clips on one sheet metal part, the time required to remove the connector clips is rather lengthy. The time associated with removing the connector clips from the gauge is undesirable and inefficient in an industrial environment.
It would be desirable to provide an apparatus for automatically and simultaneously removing a plurality of connector clips of a workpiece from a gauge.